wh- respelling of Old English hw- attested from 11c., but not the common form until after c.1400. It represents PIE *kw-; in German reduced to simple w-, in Scandinavian as hv-, kv-, or v-.

Also added to some borrowed words (whisk, whiskey) and some native words formerly spelled with simple w- or h- (whole, whore). In the 15c. flowering of its use it also threatened to change the spelling of hot, home and many more. In northern English 16c.-18c., sometimes altered to quh- (see Q). Proper pronunciation has been much in dispute in educated speech.

whale -- Old English hwæl "whale," also "walrus," from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz

wham -- "a heavy blow," 1923, of echoic origin.

wharf -- late Old English hwearf "shore, bank where ships can tie up," earlier "dam, embankment," from Proto-Germanic *hwarfaz

what -- Old English hwæt, referring to things in abstraction; also "why, wherefore; indeed, surely, truly," from Proto-Germanic pronoun *hwat

wheal --- "mark made on the skin by a whip," 1808, perhaps an alteration of wale, possibly by confusion with weal "welt," and obsolete wheal "pimple, pustule" (mid-15c.), from Old English verb hwelian "to form pus, bring to a head."

wheat -- Old English hwæte "wheat," from Proto-Germanic *hwaitjaz

wheedle -- "to influence by flattery," 1660s, of uncertain origin, perhaps connected with Old English wædlian "to beg," from wædl "poverty" [OED], or borrowed by English soldiers in the 17c. German wars from German wedeln "wag the tail," hence "fawn, flatter"

wheel -- Old English hweol, hweogol "wheel," from Proto-Germanic *hwewlaz-

wheeze -- mid-15c., probably from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse hvoesa "to hiss," Danish hvæse cognate with Old English hwæst "act of blowing," hwosan "to cough," from an imitative root.

whither -- Old English hwider, from Proto-Germanic *hwithre-, from *hwi- "who" + ending as in hither and thither.

whittle -- 1550s, "to cut thin shavings from (something) with a knife," from Middle English whittel "a knife," especially a large one (c. 1400), variant of thwittle (late 14c.), from Old English þwitan "to cut," from Proto-Germanic *thwit-

whiz -- "clever person," 1914, probably a special use of whiz "something remarkable" (1908), an extended sense of whizz; or perhaps a shortened and altered form of wizard.

whoop -- mid-14c., houpen, partly imitative, partly from Old French huper, houper "to cry out, shout," also imitative. It is attested as an interjection from at least mid-15c. Spelling with wh- is from mid-15c.

whoosh -- 1856, of imitative origin.

whop -- "to beat, strike," mid-15c., of imitative origin.

whore -- 1530s spelling alteration of Middle English hore, from Old English hore "prostitute, harlot," from Proto-Germanic *horaz

why -- Old English hwi, instrumental case (indicating for what purpose or by what means) of hwæt (see what), from Proto-Germanic adverb *hwi